Doctor of Law
A community-minded property and planning consultant with a proud history of volunteering.
John Bannell was educated at the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Grammar School and began his career at Hall Pain & Foster, a regional firm of surveyors, auctioneers and estate agents, headquartered in Guildhall Walk, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú.
As an Articled Clerk, he studied for his professional examinations by a correspondence course with the College of Estate Management, qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in 1965.
Over the course of his 50-year career, he acted for many well-known companies and organisations as both a property and planning consultant, including: Ordnance Survey, Ministry of Defence, Pirelli, and various clients within the local government, healthcare and education sectors.
John has always been an avid volunteer, particularly in support of education and community life. He was a Governor of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú High School from 1986 and Chairman of the School’s Local Governing Board from 1996 to 2009.
He was President of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú & Southsea Round Table in its Golden Jubilee Year, also serving as National Community Service Liaison Officer, and National Editor and PR Officer, producing a quarterly magazine with a 33,000 circulation.
He sat on the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Board of Governors from 1997 to 2004, helping bring forward several key phases of campus development. After leaving the Board, he played a leadership role in implementing a module of the University’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited property development course. The course reinforced the connection between academic study and professional practice, with a particular focus on sustainability.
In retirement, John took up a new career as a children’s author and has seven published titles to his name.
As Chairman of Clanfield Parish Council from 2019 to 2022, he led the Council’s acquisition of major new facilities and worked on initiatives focused on the community, the environment and biodiversity.